Adsactly Education - Alabama
Alabama - The Yellowhammer State
Capital: Montgomery
Largest City: Birmingham
52,419 sq. mi. 135,765 sq. Km
30th Largest State
Admitted to US: 1819
Population: 4.9 million
Highest Point: 2413 feet 735.5 m
Lowest Point: Sea Level
Mascot: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
State Bird: Yellowhammer
State Flower: Camellia
Motto: We Dare Defend Our Rights
Bordered By: Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and The Gulf of Mexico
Alabama
Alabama took it’s name from a local Native American tribe of the same name. The Indigenous culture goes back more than 10,000 years and was in the heart of possibly the greatest of all North American cultures, the Mississippian Culture.
The first European contact was the DeSoto expedition from Spain in the 1540s. France made the first permanent european settlement at Mobile in about 1702 as the capital of the French Louisiana.
Alabama and more was part of the spoils of the French and Indian War. The Revolutionary War saw the United States take full possession of the then Mississippi Territory. Alabama Territory was split off from Mississippi Territory and was admitted to the Union in 1819 as a slave state.
Alabama seceded from the Union in January 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America sending over half it’s white population to the war effort. At the end of the war the slaves were freed and Alabama was readmitted to the US in 1868.
Jim Crow
After the war the state wrote three new constitutions. In 1868, 1875 and 1901. By the third constitution the blacks and native americans had been entirely disenfranchised and were bound by segregation. After being convinced to vote for the changes poor whites were soon disenfranchised by a poll tax.
Alabama was ground zero for the oppression of minorities and poor whites until the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act by the US Government in 1964 and 1965. Enforcement of these two acts were often accompanied by the National Guard. Alabama still resisted change and it took a number of Supreme Court decisions to end segregation once and for all.
Late in the 20th Century Alabama finally made the changes that has led to state and local governments that are much more representative of the voters.
Weather
Alabama tends to be warm and wet with mostly hot summers and moderate winters. Tropical storms and even hurricanes are relatively common with the possibility of extensive rains. Tornados are as common in Alabama as any place in the US. The Adirondack Mountains in the north of the state offer moderated summer temps and much cooler winter temperatures.
Alabama offers a National Military Park and at least 5 National Preserves or Monuments and 4 National Forests. 3 Historic Roads/Trails are within the state including the Natchez Trace Parkway, a multi state scenic route.
Fauna and Flora
Due to location and climate Alabama has a very high biodiversity rating and includes 62 species of mammal, 93 reptile species, 73 amphibians, 307 freshwater fish and 420 species of birds that spend at least part of the year in the state.
The People
As of the 2010 Census Alabama has 68.2% white and 26.2% black population. The state had 2.4% foreign born residents with an estimated 25% of those being undocumented. Native Americans accounted for only 0.6% of the total population.
English is the primary language spoken at home in 95% of Alabama homes, one of the highest rates in the nation.
Alabama has an obesity rate of between 26 and 29% resulting in more than 10% of adults suffering from diabetes. Both those rates are at or near the top in the US.
Alabama has a per capita income of less than $30,000 and is the sixth worst poverty rate in the US. The largest employer in the state is the Redstone Arsenal, a federal missile project.
Government
Alabama is bound to the previously mentioned constitution that was ratified in 1901. It has since been amended over 750 times and contains more than 300,000 words making it the largest constitution in the world. Originally designed to favor wealthy white planters and exclude minorities and poor whites, it is an incredibly bloated document.
Alabama has a fairly standard 3 part state government composed of the Legislature, the Executive Branch (governor) and the Judiciary.
The Legislature is responsible for writing and passing laws and the state budget. Alabama is one of the few states that allow veto override with a simple majority vote.
The executive branch consists of the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor. This branch is responsible for seeing that the laws of the state are followed.
The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court, 2 Appellate Courts and 4 Trial Courts. Justices in Alabama are partisan positions and all are currently held by Republicans which might be the reason for the highest rate of execution in the nation.
Alabama has a graduated state income tax and state sales tax, each of which provides about 50% of the income for the state. It is one of the very few states that does not provide sales tax relief on grocery store items.
Education
Primary and Secondary education is under the purview of the State Board of Education and local and county school boards. Alabama’s High School graduation rate is 75% and is the fourth lowest in the nation. Alabama also allows corporal punishment in elementary and secondary schools with the third highest rates of use for that category.
Alabama has 14 public four year colleges and universities, two year community colleges and 17 private undergraduate colleges.
Transportation
Alabama has 4 major airports, is served by Amtrack, has 6 interstate freeways, multiple US Highways and 4 toll roads. One saltwater port (Mobile) and several freshwater ports with access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Special Law
It is strictly against the law in Alabama to have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.
I hope you enjoyed this synopsis of Alabama. The words and ideas are mine but I used Wikipedia Alabama as the source for the information.
All images in this post are properly licensed and used.
This promises to be the first part of a series on the various states. Alaska is up next, I hope you will return.
Authored by: @bigtom13
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Hehehe, great article @bigtom13. You know I've been hearing about Alabama in some of thoes American action movies and since then I've liked to be pronouncing it now and then due to the weight and how attacking the the name sounds "Alabama".
It's indeed a great pleasure reading and acquiring knowledge about Alabama, it's people, the government, it's education, transportation and that special law.
If I may ask why is it so, talking about the law of having an ice cream cone in your back pocket.
I have no idea. Every state has at least a few strange laws. I just wanted to throw one in here for Alabama.
I have a really hard time imagining an ice cream cone in a back pocket. I'm guessing there have not been many fines for that one...
The state has a city like Huntsville. Here is a very special atmosphere. After all, Huntsville is a city of astronautics. Everyone in the space camp can experience cosmic overloads on himself - for this, he has all the necessary equipment and simulators. But if you do not want to go anywhere, study and get acquainted with history, but there is a desire to enjoy solitude with nature, then you can simply admire the local scenery. For example, visit DeSoto Park - this picturesque place is located next to the Little River River in the northeastern part of the state. Anyway, I must say that in Alabama there are a lot of beautiful parks, reserves and beaches. It is they who attract visitors who regularly come here to rest and leave with a lot of vivid impressions and emotions.
Thank you for informative article. :)
Redstone is the largest employer in the state, so it makes sense that Huntsville is rocking. I've only been through Alabama a couple of times, but I agree with the natural beauty. The Natchez Trace is one of the coolest roads in the US.
Thanks for the feedback and great comment. Always appreciated.
Oh i always use to think that alabama was a slang because a musician used it to sing a music. So all my mind was that alabama was a chorus slang in a music
Yeah. Sweet Home Alabama has been covered lots of times in every genre. There is a sort of blues vibe to Alabama and Mississippi...
I have always used to hear alabama thinking that alabama is someone name or someone music chorus title or even a food or slang. Never knew Alabama is even a state in the u.s.a. this is great
Even in the US Alabama mostly makes headlines for an occasional dumbass politician or when a tornado hits or a hurricane wades ashore. I know from crossing it a couple of times that it's a pretty place with good food!
This post has received an upvote from Jumanji Bot!
a very extraordinary education,i like your works,@adsactly
Thank you.
Alabama not only has a great colonial history it also has awesome restaurants with fantastic food.
Yes it does. I always think of Seafood and that's amazing because it has a little teeny coastline between the panhandle of Florida and Mississippi.
Good show, I liked it...thanks man.
A very complete synthesis, @bigtom13. I appreciate your information about this US state. Its name, "Alabama," has always been striking to me, and now I know that its origin goes back to an indigenous voice. For films where it has been located, I remember admiring its fluvial landscapes. I observe that he has had a rather controversial political life, perhaps because of that the extension of his Constitution and its high number of amendments. It seems, if I interpret correctly, to have a public life with an emphasis on the conservative line. Pending your series, very useful for our illustration. Greetings.
rather controversial political life, Is a serious understatement. Alabama is what would be known as the 'reddest of the red' here in the US.
It does have an incredible diversity of fauna and flora. Something like 400 species of birds at least pass through on migration.
As a follower of @followforupvotes this post has been randomly selected and upvoted! Enjoy your upvote and have a great day!
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